Bob Barker

Background

Robert William Barker, popularly known as Bob Barker, was born on December 12, 1923, into a modest family in Darrington, Washington. He spent most of his youth at Rosebud Indian Reservation in Mission, South Dakota. His mother, Matilda Valandra, was a school teacher, and his father, Byron John Barker, was a foreman of the high power line in Washington state.

At 15, he met his wife, Dorothy Jo Gideon, at an Ella Fitzgerald concert in town. Later, Barker attended Drury College (now Drury University) in Springfield, Missouri.

Barker enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II but did not serve on active duty. He worked part-time in radio while attending college. In 1950, he moved to California to pursue a radio career. His radio show, The Bob Barker Show,  ran for six years. He began his game show hosting career on Truth or Consequences in 1956. Soon, Barker presented several shows and became the presenter of Miss Universe and Miss U.S.A. pageants from 1967 to 1987, where he was awarded the longest-serving host of these pageants. When his wife died of lung cancer in 1981 at 57, he became an advocate for animal rights and animal rights activism, supporting groups like United Animal Rights Activists and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. He started hosting The Price is Right in 1972, becoming a household name and an essential part of the show — 35 years later, in 2007, he retired after celebrating his 50th anniversary in television.

Barker sadly died in August of 2023 from Alzheimer’s disease.